Establishes the High Speed Rail Planning Authority and provides for its functions, appointment and terms and conditions of appointment of members, staff and consultants, conduct of meetings, and reporting and information requirements; and enables the minister to make rules prescribing matters.

to: define marriage as a union of two people; clarify that ministers of religion are not bound to solemnise marriage by any other law; remove the prohibition of the recognition of same sex marriages solemnised in a foreign country; and include a regulation making power so that consequential amendments can be made to other Acts.

The bill: establishes Renew Australia as a statutory authority to oversee the transition of Australia’s electricity system to one based on renewable energy and provides for its functions and powers; establishes the Board of Renew Australia and provides for its functions, members and meetings; provides for the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer and staff, consultants and committees; provides for financial arrangements; and sets out a timetable for the phased closure of coal-fired power stations.

to: establish the Registered Organisations Commission and provide it with investigation and information gathering powers to monitor and regulate registered organisations; and provide for the appointment, functions and powers of the commissioner (who will assume the investigations, enforcement advice and assistance responsibilities in relation to registered organisations currently undertaken by the General Manager of the Fair Work Commission); and

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009

to: amend the requirements on officers’ disclosure of material personal interests and change grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for office; increase financial accounting and disclosure obligations for registered organisations and their officers; and increase civil penalties and introduce criminal offences for serious breaches of officers’ duties and new offences in relation to the conduct of investigations.

Suspends the Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016, and any subsequent orders that may be made by the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, until 1 January 2017; and enables the minister to make rules dealing with transitional and other matters.

Amends: 100 Acts to replace references to penalties expressed as a number of dollars with penalties expressed as a number of penalty units; 27 Acts to replace references to ‘maximum penalty’ with references to ‘penalty’; 32 Acts to provide that provisions relating to the evidentiary status of a certificate (or other instrument or register) clearly provide that it is prima facie evidence of the matters stated in it; and the

Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980

,

Crimes (Aviation) Act 1991

,

Crimes (Currency) Act 1981

and

Maritime Powers Act 2013

to update references to aircraft registered in accordance with the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988.

to provide that employees are able to choose their own superannuation fund for their compulsory employer contributions where they are employed under a workplace determination or enterprise agreement made after 1 July 2016.